Inklingo
Dictionary

sabían

sah-BEE-ahnsaˈβi.an

“sabían” means “they knew” in Spanish (Describing a past state of knowing a fact or skill).

they knew, you (all) knewAlso: they used to know, they were aware

VerbA2irregular (the base verb saber is irregular, though the imperfect ending is regular) er
Two simplistic, stylized cartoon figures, a boy and a girl, standing together and smiling knowingly. A single, large, glowing lightbulb hovers directly above the space between their heads, symbolizing shared knowledge.
infinitivesaber
gerundsabiendo
past Participlesabido

📝 In Action

Mis padres sabían nadar desde que eran pequeños.

A2

My parents knew how to swim since they were little.

En ese momento, ellas no sabían la verdad sobre el robo.

B1

At that time, they didn't know the truth about the robbery.

Ustedes sabían perfectamente lo que tenían que hacer.

A2

You (all) knew perfectly well what you had to do.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • conocían (they were familiar with)
  • entendían (they understood)

Antonyms

  • ignoraban (they were unaware of)

Common Collocations

  • sabían la verdad – they knew the truth
  • sabían cómo hacerlo – they knew how to do it

Indicative

Present

yosé
túsabes
él/ella/ustedsabe
nosotrossabemos
vosotrossabéis
ellos/ellas/ustedessaben

Imperfect

yosabía
túsabías
él/ella/ustedsabía
nosotrossabíamos
vosotrossabíais
ellos/ellas/ustedessabían

Preterite

yosupe
túsupiste
él/ella/ustedsupo
nosotrossupimos
vosotrossupisteis
ellos/ellas/ustedessupieron

Subjunctive

Present Subjunctive

yosepa
túsepas
él/ella/ustedsepa
nosotrossepamos
vosotrossepáis
ellos/ellas/ustedessepan

Imperfect Subjunctive

yosupiera/supiese
túsupieras/supieses
él/ella/ustedsupiera/supiese
nosotrossupiéramos/supiésemos
vosotrossupierais/supieseis
ellos/ellas/ustedessupieran/supiesen
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: sabían

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'sabían'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family
saber(to know) — Verb
sabio(wise person) — Noun
sabiduría(wisdom) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes
decíantraían
📚 Etymology

Comes from the Latin verb *sapere*, which originally meant 'to taste' or 'to discern by taste,' but eventually evolved to mean 'to be wise' or 'to know.'

First recorded: Old Spanish (around the 10th century)

Cognates (Related words)

Portuguese: sabiamFrench: savaient

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 'sabían' and 'supieron'?

'Sabían' (Imperfect) describes a state of knowledge that existed for a long time in the past ('They knew'). 'Supieron' (Preterite) describes the moment they gained that knowledge ('They found out' or 'They learned').